American prisoner in Iran rushed to the hospital

The Washington Free Beacon reports that a seriously ill American who is being held captive in Iran was rushed to the hospital late Sunday evening with a heart related condition.

From the Beacon: An ailing 81-year-old Iranian-American who Iranian authorities recently returned to prison against the advice of doctors was rushed [to] the hospital with a racing heart rate Sunday, according to his attorney.

Baquer Namazi, who has a pacemaker and has suffered life-threatening heart problems in Iran’s notorious Evin prison for two years, was sent to the hospital late Sunday night when his heart rate doubled from its usual 60 beats per minute to 120 beats per minute.

He also experienced fluctuations in blood pressure and a severe loss of energy, his attorney Jared Genser said in a statement.

His family once again fears he could die at any time and has pleaded with Iranian authorities to release him on humanitarian grounds.

“He must be immediately released on medical parole,” Genser said. “And Iran must act expeditiously to engage with the United States to find a resolution to all these wrongly imprisoned American cases, including Baquer’s son Siamak Namazi, who also remains imprisoned.”

The Beacon further reports: The Iranian government rebuffed attempts by the Trump administration late last year to develop a channel of communication about Americans held in Iran and prisoners the U.S. government has prosecuted, according to sources familiar with the details of the efforts.

One source, however, downplayed suggestions that the Trump administration would consider a prisoner swap without reforms related to Tehran’s breach of international law through its continued firing of ballistic missiles and other issues related to the nuclear deal.